Segmented social collaboration with communication arbitration

ABSTRACT

Disclosed embodiments provide a computer-implemented technique for filtering electronic communication based on the current task of a user. The current task of a user is derived using a workflow segmentation model. A workflow segmentation model is derived based on user-defined activities, heuristics, location data, environmental data, and/or other input data. Prior to delivery, electronic communication directed to the user is analyzed based on sender, subject, message content, time of day, and/or other criteria to determine if the message should be presented to the user immediately, or deferred, based on the relevance of the message to the current task of the user.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to electronic communicationfiltering and, more particularly, to segmented social collaboration withcommunication arbitration.

BACKGROUND

In the fast-paced environment many people work in today, it can bedifficult to manage communications. If a person is working on oneproject, while receiving messages related to another, this creates adisturbance and causes inefficiency. It is also inefficient for thesenders of messages to be unaware of when a co-worker or the like isgoing to be working on items which relate to the subject matter of themessages. These inefficiencies mean valuable time is lost in terms offull attention to a matter, collaboration opportunities, delayed workproduct, etc. Accordingly, there exists a need for improvements inelectronic communication filtering.

SUMMARY

Embodiments include a computer-implemented method comprising:determining a workflow segmentation model for a user, wherein theworkflow segmentation model includes a plurality of task contexts;receiving one or more communication events destined for the user;classifying each of the one or more communication events based on theplurality of task contexts; and arbitrating, based on the workflowsegmentation model, the one or more communication events sent to theuser, wherein arbitrating includes assigning a correlation value, basedon classification of the one or more communication events, and furtherbased on a current task context of the user.

Embodiments further include an electronic computation device comprising:a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containinginstructions, that when executed by the processor, perform the processof: determining a workflow segmentation model for a user, wherein theworkflow segmentation model includes a plurality of task contexts;receiving one or more communication events destined for the user;classifying each of the one or more communication events based on theplurality of task contexts; and arbitrating, based on the workflowsegmentation model, the one or more communication events sent to theuser, wherein arbitrating includes assigning a correlation value, basedon classification of the one or more communication events, and furtherbased on a current task context of the user.

Embodiments further include a computer program product for an electroniccomputation device comprising a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith, the program instructionsexecutable by a processor to cause the electronic computation device toperform the process of: determining a workflow segmentation model for auser, wherein the workflow segmentation model includes a plurality oftask contexts; receiving one or more communication events destined forthe user; classifying each of the one or more communication events basedon the plurality of task contexts; and arbitrating, based on theworkflow segmentation model, the one or more communication events sentto the user, wherein arbitrating includes assigning a correlation value,based on classification of the one or more communication events, andfurther based on a current task context of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the disclosed embodiments will be more readily understoodfrom the following detailed description of the various aspects of theinvention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an environment for embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a client device used in embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary workflow segmentation model in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows user settings for an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 indicates project teams used in examples for embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 shows exemplary communication in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of elements of embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 shows a data structure for a project within a workflowsegmentation model in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart indicating process steps for embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart indicating additional process steps forembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows an example of disambiguation in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a dispersion analysis in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a bigram analysis in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merelyrepresentations, not necessarily intended to portray specific parametersof the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only exampleembodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered aslimiting in scope. In the drawings, like numbering may represent likeelements. Furthermore, certain elements in some of the figures may beomitted, or illustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A recurring problem in various organizations is that an individual maywork within multiple teams or on multiple deliverables. However, teamsare typically unaware of parallel schedules. Disclosed embodimentsprovide techniques that enable the ability of a central schedulemanagement system with an arbitration system that segments socialdiscussion by team, organization, or individual.

Disclosed embodiments provide a computer-implemented technique forfiltering electronic communication based on the current task of a user.A workflow segmentation model is derived based on user-definedactivities, heuristics, location data, environmental data, and/or otherinput data. The workflow segmentation model is a data model thatdescribes a current activity (task context) for a user at a given timebased on information such as previous activity, location, calendarinformation, and/or other data.

Embodiments intercept electronic communications directed to the user,and analyze the communications based on sender, subject, messagecontent, time of day, and/or other criteria to determine if the messagedestined for the user should be presented to the user immediately, ordeferred, based on the relevance of the message to the current task ofthe user.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “some embodiments”, or similar language means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of thepresent invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,”“in an embodiment,” “in some embodiments”, and similar languagethroughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer tothe same embodiment.

Moreover, the described features, structures, or characteristics of theinvention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications and variations can be made to the presentinvention without departing from the spirit and scope and purpose of theinvention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover themodifications and variations of this invention provided they come withinthe scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Reference willnow be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an environment 100 for embodiments of the present invention.Workflow segmentation model communication monitoring system 102comprises a processor 140, a memory 142 coupled to the processor 140,and storage 144. System 102 is an electronic computation device. Thememory 142, contains instructions 147, that when executed by theprocessor 140, perform embodiments of the present invention. Memory 142may include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random accessmemory (SRAM), magnetic storage, and/or a read only memory such asflash, EEPROM, optical storage, or other suitable memory. In someembodiments, the memory 142 may not be a transitory signal per se. Insome embodiments, storage 144 may include one or more magnetic storagedevices such as hard disk drives (HDDs). Storage 144 may additionallyinclude one or more solid state drives (SSDs).

System 102 is connected to network 124, which is the Internet, a widearea network, a local area network, or other suitable network. Telephonysystem 152 is also connected to the network 124. This system enables theconnecting of phone calls. Telephony system 152 can be POTS, PBX, VoIP,or other suitable type.

Calendar system 158 is connected to the network 124. This system allowsa user to configure and store items on a calendar/schedule. A user cancreate entries such as meetings, deadlines, classes, etc. In someembodiments, the calendar system 158 is a computer hosting Microsoft®Outlook®. In some embodiments, determining the workflow segmentationmodel is based on calendar information of the user. For example, theuser may schedule meetings, events, and/or blocks of time pertaining tovarious projects that he/she is working on. This information may be usedas an initial basis for the workflow segmentation model. The workflowsegmentation model may then be supplemented based on additionalinformation, including, but not limited to, user location, which clientcomputer systems the user is currently logged into or signed out of,environmental factors such as temperature, and/or other external factorssuch as a stock market index, sporting event outcome, or the like.

Teleconference system 154 is connected to network 124. This systemallows users to conference with one another remotely. In someembodiments, it can be a system such as WebEx®, GoToMeeting®, or anothersimilar type of teleconference system.

Instant messaging system 170 is connected to network 124. This system170 facilitates instant messaging among client devices. The messagingtype may be short message service (SMS), multiple message services(MMS), or software-based systems providing instant messaging, such asmessaging on WhatsApp®, Slack®, Skype®, or other suitable platform. Theinstant messaging system 170 may include any suitable instant messagingsystem now known or hereafter developed.

Social media system 163 is connected to network 124. This system 163facilitates electronic connections among user accounts. Users establishaccounts in the system and can connect to the accounts of others in thesystem 163. A user can post and share content to his/her account whichappears in the feeds of other accounts in the system. Example systemsinclude Facebook®, LinkedIn®, or Twitter®. Any suitable socialnetworking system now known or hereafter developed is included.

One or more environmental sensors 164 are connected to network 124. Suchsensor(s) 164 may be a temperature sensor, a daylight sensor, or ahumidity sensor, etc. Any suitable environmental sensor now known orhereafter developed is included.

System 102 may perform a webpage scraping, data feed monitoring, and/orsimilar functionality to search the Internet, or particular websites,for event information, such as sporting event outcome information orstock market information.

Client devices 104 and 106 are connected to network 124. Client devices104 and 106 are user computing devices, such as tablet computers, laptopcomputers, desktop computers, smartphones, PDAs, or other suitabledevices that can handle incoming and outgoing voice calls. Although twoclient devices are shown, in implementations, more or fewer clientdevices can be in communication with the system shown over the network124.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a client device 200 used with embodimentsof the present invention. Device 200 is an electronic communicationdevice, representative of client devices 104 and 106 of FIG. 1. Device200 includes a processor 202, which is coupled to a memory 204. Memory204 may include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static randomaccess memory (SRAM), magnetic storage, and/or a read only memory suchas flash, EEPROM, optical storage, or other suitable memory. In someembodiments, the memory 204 may not be a transitory signal per se. Inembodiments, device 200 may have multiple processors 202, and/ormultiple cores per processor. The device 200 may execute an operatingsystem that provides virtual memory management for the device 200. Theprocessor 202 may have one or more cache memories therein.

Device 200 further includes storage 206. In embodiments, storage 206 mayinclude one or more magnetic storage devices such as hard disk drives(HDDs). Storage 206 may additionally include one or more solid statedrives (SSDs).

Device 200 further includes a user interface 208, examples of whichinclude a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a cathode raytube (CRT) display, a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED(OLED) display, or other suitable display technology. The user interface208 may further include a keyboard, mouse, or other suitable humaninterface device. In some embodiments, user interface 208 may be a touchscreen, incorporating a capacitive or resistive touch screen in someembodiments.

Device 200 further includes a communication interface 210. Thecommunication interface 210 may be a wired communication interface thatincludes Ethernet®, Gigabit Ethernet®, or the like. In embodiments, thecommunication interface 210 may include a wireless communicationinterface that includes modulators, demodulators, and antennas for avariety of wireless protocols including, but not limited to, Bluetooth®,Wi-Fi, and/or cellular communication protocols for communication over acomputer network.

Device 200 further includes a microphone 212 to enable voicecommunications. Device 200 yet further includes a speaker 216. Speaker216 may be powered or passive.

Device 200 further includes geolocation system 217. Geolocation systemmay be global positioning satellite system (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo,BeiDou, and/or other suitable system.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary workflow segmentation model (WSM) 300 inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. A “workflowsegmentation model” (WSM) is a schedule of what the user does, and when,and which task context it is associated with. Embodiments includedetermining a workflow segmentation model for a user, wherein theworkflow segmentation model includes a plurality of task contexts. Atask context is a project, task, or activity performed, attended, orworked on by the user during the course of a work day. A workflowsegmentation model is derived based on user-defined activities, locationdata, environmental data, and/or other input data. The WSM can bederived heuristically, and/or by manual entry from the user.

In the example herein, the WSM 300 has six columns and ten rows. Column302 shows times of day, which are the titles of the rows, and row 320shows days of the week, which are the titles of the columns. Rows 322,324, 326, 328, 330, 332, 334, 336, and 338 each show a time of day from9 am to 5 pm, at one-hour intervals. Column 304 is Monday, column 306 isTuesday, column 308 is Wednesday, column 310 is Thursday, and column 312is Friday. The columns and rows intersect to form cells on the WSM. Thisis an example of a WSM, and in implementations, more, fewer, ordifferent items may be included thereon.

A WSM corresponds to a user, which in the example is Lisa. Although theWSM in the representation of FIG. 3 looks like a two-dimensionalcalendar, it is a computer-generated dynamic multidimensionalconglomeration which can comprise a multitude of determinations,calculations, identifications, detections, and in some cases,assumptions. For example, the WSM can adapt based on factors such asuser location and environmental factors such as temperature. A currenttime/date is input into the WSM, which outputs a current task context(what the user is currently working on). Thus, in response tointercepting a communication event, embodiments include determiningwhether to deliver a message (associated with the communication event)to a recipient as soon as possible, or to defer it (i.e., delay or blockit), based on the relevance of the message to the current task (oractivity) of the user.

In the example, Project A is the task context assigned to the cells incolumn 304, rows 322-326; column 306, rows 332 and 334; column 308, rows322-326; column 310, rows 332 and 334; and column 312, rows 322-326.This means that Lisa, the user, is scheduled to work on Project A from 9am-12 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from 2 pm-4 pm on Tuesdayand Thursday.

Project B is the task context assigned to the cells in column 304, rows330-334; column 308, rows 330-334; and column 312, rows 330 and 332.This means that Lisa is scheduled to work on Project B from 1 pm-4 pm onMonday and Wednesday, and from 1 pm-3 pm on Friday.

Project C is the task context assigned to the cells in column 306, rows324 and 326 and column 310, rows 324 and 326. This means that Lisa isscheduled to work on Project C on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am-12 pm.

FIG. 4 shows user settings 400 for an embodiment of the presentinvention. In some embodiments, determining the WSM further comprisesreceiving user preferences. The user preferences are received byembodiments through options from which a user can select. The settingsare set and stored in association with a corresponding project.

The user preference options shown in FIG. 4 are exemplary, and otherfeasible controls are included within the scope of the invention. Thecontrols are shown selectable as buttons (which a user presses using amouse, stylus, or finger), check boxes (where more than one option of aplurality of options can be selected), and radio buttons (where only oneoption can be selected at a time from a plurality of options). Theseselection mechanisms are exemplary, and in implementations, the controlscan be substituted with any suitable selection mechanism.

At 402, controls are presented from which a user can select to create anew project or edit an existing task context, called a project on theexample, at button 404 or button 406, respectively. The term “project”herein is used generically for an activity that a user or group of usersis to perform, work on, attend, etc., such as a meeting, appointment,work task, etc.

At 408, controls are presented from which a user can select whether anotification is to be sent (such as an email autoreply, an example ofwhich is shown at 632 in FIG. 6). Radio button 410 is for “on” (sendnotification), and radio button 412 for “off” (refrain from sendingnotification). In some embodiments, the notification can include astandard “I'm away” type of message. In some embodiments, when the “on”option is selected, a custom option 411 is made available for the userto customize the autoreply. When such box is checked and the radiobutton 410 is selected, a pop-up 470 can be displayed. The user can at472 and 474 select which paragraphs to include, and fill in blankinformation such as at 476 and 478. In some embodiments, thenotification can be completely customizable by a user. The content ofthe notification is saved for delivery later.

At 420, controls are presented from which a user can set whethercalendar information (such as in calendar system 158 of FIG. 1) is to beenabled. The radio button 422 is for “on” and the radio button 424 isfor “off.” When set to “on” 422, a calendar associated with the user isscraped for meetings, appointments, and other user entries for buildingthe WSM. Such items are added to the WSM in association with theirrespective durations.

At 426, controls are presented from which a user can set whether socialmedia information (such as in social media system 163 of FIG. 1) is tobe enabled. The radio button 428 is for “on” and the radio button 430 isfor “off.” When set to “on,” a social media account associated with theuser is scraped for meetings, appointments, and other user entries forbuilding the WSM. Such items are added to the WSM in association withtheir respective durations.

At 414, controls are presented from which a user can set a locationoverride. In some embodiments, determining the WSM is based ongeographical location information of the user. This allows an overrideto the WSM based on user location as the WSM is dynamic. For example, at2 pm on Monday, the task context of the user is Project B (see 332 ofFIG. 3), but on this particular day, her wearable GPS tracker (orsmartphone) detects that she is at a facility associated with Project C.Accordingly, an assumption is made that she is working on Project C atthis time. If she had set the override to “on” 416, then embodimentswould perform according to the assumption that her task context isProject C at such time, rather than Project B. If she has selected the“off” radio button 418, then the current location would be ignored forthe purposes of determining the current task context of the user.

At 458, controls are presented from which the user can set a temperatureoverride (e.g., using environmental sensors 164 of FIG. 1) as again, theWSM is dynamic. The radio button 460 is for “on” and the radio button462 is for “off.” When set to “on”, a project or entry on the WSM willbe overridden when a preset temperature threshold is reached. As anexample, a manager of an airport ground crew may have to switch tasks tosupervising deicing activities when the temperature falls below zerodegrees Celsius, regardless of what the current task context assigned onthe WSM at the time indicates. Thus, if embodiments intercept a messagepertaining to deicing, and the temperature is below freezing, thenembodiments would perform according to the assumption that s/he isworking on deicing at such time, rather than ground crew management. Ifs/he has selected the “off” radio button 462, then the detection wouldbe ignored.

At 432, controls are presented from which the user can choose whichchannels to filter. The example options are among types of communicationevents, such as voice 434, instant messaging (IMing) 436, email 438, andtext 440. In the example, the boxes for instant messaging 436, email438, and text 440 are each checked, and the box for voice 434 is not.This means that any incoming IM, email, or text messages will befiltered by embodiments. Any voice calls will not be filtered, and willbe delivered as soon as possible without regard to the current taskcontext of the user according to the WSM.

At 442, controls are presented from which the user can set an “inducedcommunication delay” (ICD). The ICD represents how much time to delay acommunication when the task context of the user is not related to (i.e.,does not match with) the content of the message. In the example, theoptions are one hour 444, next free period 446, and end of day 448.Also, in some embodiments, a user can set embodiments to subject certaintypes of communication to an ICD, such as text, email, IM, but delivervoice calls through without delay. These options are examples, and inimplementations, more, fewer, and/or different options may be included.Thus, embodiments include receiving user preferences for a customizableinduced communication delay.

At 450, options are presented from which the user can set what status isto be shown to originators/senders of communications which are deferred.In the example, the options include away 452, do not disturb 454, andbusy 456. These options are examples, and in implementations, more,fewer, and/or different options may be included. Thus, embodiments canshow a different status to different users based on the current workactivity (task context) of the recipient. The current task context isbased on the WSM of the recipient and reflects what the user iscurrently doing.

At 484, options are presented from which a user can set an override inresponse to an event. In some embodiments, a user may set controls suchthat an override may occur in response to an event. The radio button 480is for “on” and the radio button 482 is for “off.” A set of drop downmenus is shown generally at 486 where the user can select a team, game,stock, and/or price.

In some embodiments, the event selected is a particular team winning aparticular game. When a particular team wins a game (or in some cases,loses), this triggers an override to the calendar of the WSM. Forexample, if a particular team wins Game 1 of the World Series on Monday,this may trigger an override for the time corresponding to Game 2 onWednesday. If on the WSM the user was scheduled to be working on ProjectD on Wednesday, but had set that an override would occur if theparticular team won so that he could watch the team in Game 2,embodiments would operate in handling incoming communication eventsaccordingly.

In some embodiments, the event selected is a stock price. A user can seta threshold of stock price of a stock for triggering an override. Forexample, rather than work on a project scheduled on the WSM, a user maywant to be calling his/her broker for advice if a particular stock goesbelow $5 to determine whether to buy more or sell. In response to theevent occurring, embodiments would operate in handling incomingcommunication events accordingly.

FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 indicating project teams used in examples forembodiments of the present invention. In the example, a user “Lisa” (notshown) is a member in each of these teams (Project A, Project B, andProject C). The team members depicted in FIG. 5 show the other teammembers (in addition to Lisa) for each project. The team 502 involvedwith Project A includes Sally 504, Judith 505, John 506, and Neil 507.The team 522 involved with Project B includes Roger 524, Pete 525, John526, and Keith 527. The team 532 involved with Project C includes James534, Noel 535, and Mitch 536. Teams can vary in number of members. Teamsmay include people working on a project, people managing a project,people testing the results (such as prototypes) of a project, peoplemarketing a project, people financing a project, etc. Teams can beformed in any suitable fashion. A list or database of the members of theteams may be included in the WSM for each respective project.

FIG. 6 shows exemplary communication events in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. A communication event can be aninstant message (IM), an email message, a phone call, etc. Inembodiments, one or more communication events are classified based on aplurality of task contexts. Classification of the one or morecommunication events can be based on one or more variables. In someembodiments, classifying each of the one or more communication events isperformed based on a detected subject of each communication event. Insome embodiments, classifying each of the one or more communicationevents is performed based on a detected sender (i.e. originator) of eachcommunication event. In some embodiments, classifying each of the one ormore communication events is performed based on keywords detected in thebody of each communication event.

The one or more communication events sent to the user, intercepted byembodiments, are arbitrated based on the WSM. Arbitrating includesassigning a correlation value, based on the classification of the one ormore communication events, and further based on a current task contextof the user. In embodiments, the Correlation Value C can be calculatedas follows in the example table:

Variable Value Match of Task Context (either from WSM or override) 1 andSubject of Message: Sender Associated with Task Context: 0 Match of TaskContext with Message Keywords: 1 The resulting Correlation Value C fromthe table is: ⅔ = 0.666

When the correlation value is over a predetermined threshold,embodiments deliver the message as soon as possible without delay, andwhen the correlation value is below the predetermined threshold, themessage is deferred. Arbitration includes one or more of blocking amessage, delaying a message, or allowing a message to be received by therecipient. Note that the calculation of the correlation value shown hereis an example, and any suitable computation is included withinembodiments of the present invention.

In the example, the threshold is 0.65. A correlation value of 0.666 ishigher than the threshold value of 0.65, and therefore, the message isdelivered to the recipient without any intentional delay.

Other embodiments may utilize alternative/additional algorithms and/ortechniques to infer a correlation or relationship of a communicationevent to a particular project. In some embodiments, DiscriminantFunction Analysis (DFA) is utilized. In some embodiments, clusteringtechniques are used as part of a machine-learning process to classifycommunication. Bayesian filtering, convolutional neural networks, and/orother techniques may be used in some embodiments, for the purposes ofclassifying communication events.

In the example of FIG. 6, it is Monday at 2:00 pm as indicated at 602.Sally 504 sends instant message 604 shown in detail at 605, to Lisa.Instant message applications typically have a status indicator for eachuser, indicating a status such as available, busy, DND (do not disturb),in a meeting, away, and/or other possible statuses. The status indicatoris typically shown in the contact list and/or other area outside of themessage. Embodiments intercept and analyze message 605 by identifyingkeywords using natural language processing (entity detection techniques,bigram analysis, etc.). A keyword 608 “Project A,” is identified.Embodiments check the WSM and determine that in column 304, row 332(FIG. 3), at 2:00 pm on Monday, Lisa's task context is Project B. Inembodiments, a correlation value, as previously described, is computed.Since the message keywords do not pertain to the current project, thecomputed correlation value falls below a predetermined threshold,indicating that the communication event is to be deferred. Based on thecorrelation value, and user preferences (see 454 of FIG. 4), embodimentspresent a status indicator of “Do not Disturb” 606. Thus, the instantmessage has a status indicator 606, showing a user communication statusof “Do not Disturb,” because it is determined, based on a computedcorrelation value, that Lisa is working on Project B while the messagepertains to Project A. Accordingly, based on the computed correlationvalue, embodiments arbitrate the communication event (i.e. message) bydeferring the delivery of the message from Sally to Lisa.

Concurrently, as Sally sends the message, Roger 524 sends an instantmessage 610, shown in detail at 611, to Lisa. In embodiments, acorrelation value, as previously described, is computed. Since themessage keywords pertain to the current project, the computedcorrelation value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold,indicating that the communication event is to be delivered with outdelay. Thus, embodiments intercept the message and determine that Rogeris on the team for Project B (see 524 of FIG. 5). Embodiments alsodetermine using natural language processing that the message relates toProject B based on keyword (or key phrase) 618: “Project B.” Since Rogeris on the team of the project that Lisa is currently working on, and themessage pertains to Project B, the status indicator 612 shows Lisahaving a user communication status of AVAILABLE. Accordingly, based onthe computed correlation value, embodiments arbitrate by allowing Lisato receive the message from Roger as soon as it can be delivered.

As shown in the example, embodiments present the status differentlydepending on the sender/message content and the current task context ofthe user and user preferences. When Sally 504 tries to IM Lisa, she ispresented with DND 606, and when Roger 524 concurrently tries to IMLisa, he is presented with AVAILABLE 612. The status identifierspresented are based on a computed correlation value, which representsthe relevance of a communication event (i.e. message) to the currenttask context of Lisa.

In some embodiments, an autoreply is sent when the status of therecipient in relation to the message (identified based on analysis) is‘do not disturb’, away, or other similar status. In the example, Mitch536 sends an email message 620, which is shown in detail at 621, toLisa. Embodiments intercept and perform an analysis of the emailmessage. Based on the analysis, the sender 624, subject 627, and/orkeywords 622 are identified. Based on those, embodiments determine thatthe email message relates to Project C since such words are in thesubject line at 627, in the message body as a keyword at 622, and thesender is Mitch (from the sender line at 624) who is determined to be onthe team for Project C (see 536 of FIG. 5).

Since, according to the WSM, Lisa's current task context doesn't match(or isn't related to) Project C, Mitch's message is deferred, and anautoreply message is sent to Mitch 536. This is because Lisa hadselected option 408 of FIG. 4 when she set her user preferences. Theautoreply message could be customized by Lisa to let Mitch know that themessage is deferred. In the example, the autoreply message indicatesthat Lisa is scheduled to work on Project C again at 10 am on Tuesday,and that the current message will be delivered at 4:00 pm today. It alsoincludes an indication of an emergency phone number.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of elements of embodiments of thepresent invention. This represents an overall flow of some embodimentsof the invention. The WSM 702 is derived based on calendar 704, location706, environmental conditions 708, and/or other information 711 (such asa social media system or the like). Embodiments use natural languageprocessing or other types of processing (such as caller ID) to analyzeincoming communications. Embodiments assign a classification to themessage based on sender 712, message subject 714, keywords 716, and/orother information available. The communication classifier 710 evaluatesthe classification (e.g., in the current example, Project A, Project B,and Project C), using the current time of day 720, and the WSM 702, toprocess the message dispatch function 730, which determines when to sendthe message (now or defer it) to the recipient.

FIG. 8 shows a data structure 800 for a project 802 within a workflowsegmentation model in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention. The WSM may include, or have access to (via link, etc.) alist of team members for the project 804. The WSM may include, or haveaccess to, a schedule 806 of the dates and times the user is working onthe project. The WSM may include keywords/topics 808 pertaining to theproject. For example, if the project is development of eCommercesoftware, example keywords could be eCommerce, cart, balance, credit,refund, item, shipping, etc.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart 900 indicating process steps for embodiments ofthe present invention. At 950, a WSM is determined for a user. At 952, acommunication event is intercepted (i.e., received). This can be anemail message, instant message, voice call, or other suitable type ofcommunication. At 954, the received communication event is classified.It may be classified using analysis such as natural language processingand/or based on message medium (IM, email, voice, etc.). Based on theclassification, and the current task context (from a WSM), a correlationvalue is computed. At 956, delivery is arbitrated based on thecorrelation value. Arbitration includes when the message is not relatedto the current task context, deferring (i.e., delaying or blocking themessage), and in some cases, sending an autoreply, based on preset userpreferences.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart 1000 indicating additional process steps forembodiments of the present invention. At 1002, a sender is checkedagainst current task team list. At 1004, it is determined whether thesender is in the team. If yes, then at 1006, the message is delivered.If no, then at 1008, the message is analyzed. At 1010, it is determinedwhether the message is related to the current task. If yes, then at1006, the message is delivered. If no, then at 1012, overrides arechecked. At 1014, it is determined whether an override exists. If yes,then at 1006, the message is delivered. If no, then at 1016, the messageis deferred.

FIG. 11 shows an example 1100 of disambiguation in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. Disambiguation is one of theprocesses that may be utilized for natural language processing inembodiments of the present invention. Speech-to-text, or provided textis tokenized into words and tagged with parts of speech. For some words,there can be more than one meaning and/or part of speech. FIG. 11 showsa disambiguation example with the word “saw.”

In phrase 1101, the word “saw” 1102 is a past tense verb. Inembodiments, a machine learning natural language analysis module mayidentify the prior token 1104 to the word “saw” as a pronoun, and thefollowing token 1103 as an article. In training a classifier, thepattern of pronoun-token-article may be associated with a verb, and thusthe token is interpreted as a verb.

In phrase 1105, the word “saw” 1106 is a noun for a cutting tool. Inembodiments, a machine learning natural language analysis module mayidentify the prior token 1108 to the word saw as an article, and thefollowing token 1109 as a verb. In training a classifier, the patternarticle-token-verb may be associated with a noun, and thus the token isinterpreted as a noun.

In phrase 1111, the word “saw” 1110 is a verb for cutting. Inembodiments, a machine learning natural language analysis module mayidentify the prior token 1112 to the word “saw” as part of an infinitiveform, and the following token 1115 as an article. In training aclassifier, the pattern “to”-token-article may be associated with averb, and thus the token is interpreted as a verb. These classifiers andtechniques for disambiguation are examples, and other classifiers andtechniques are possible. Thus, embodiments include performing acomputerized natural language analysis process to classify communicationevents by performing a disambiguation process.

FIG. 12 shows an example 1200 of a dispersion analysis in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention. In a message from Mitch, aparticular word may have a non-uniform distribution in the text of themessage. In the example 1200, a dispersion analysis is performed for theword (or phrase) “Project C” 1209. A graph comprises a horizontal axis1206 representing a line number within the message, and a vertical axis1204 representing a number of occurrences of word 1209 in the message ata given line number. As can be seen in the graph, the presence of theword 1209 is concentrated in certain line numbers, where the linenumbers correspond to particular lines of text within the message. Amaximum concentration 1208 is identified in the message near line number10 of the message, and in a smaller concentration 1218 occurs near linenumber 20 of the message. Embodiments may include performing acomputerized natural language analysis process to classify communicationevents by performing a dispersion analysis.

FIG. 13 shows an example 1300 of a bigram analysis in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. In a bigram analysis, a pair ofwords in a particular order may be searched within a message. In thisexample, the bigram “computer storage” is searched within a textexcerpt. Three occurrences, indicated as 1302A, 13028, and 1302C arepresent in the text passage. In embodiments, the usage of bigrams,trigrams, or more generally, n-grams (number=n), may be used to improverelevance in analyzing a message. Embodiments can include performing acomputerized natural language analysis process to classify communicationevents by performing a bigram analysis.

As can now be appreciated, disclosed embodiments provide improvements inthe technical field of electronic communication. A technical improvementin electronic communication is achieved with disclosed embodiments.Instant messages are very useful for conveying information quickly.However, they can also be quite distracting and disruptive when beingreceived while a recipient is working on unrelated matters. Embodimentsenable deferring communication that is detected to be non-essential tothe current task. Furthermore, embodiments enable a user to have controlover when deferred messages get delivered, conditions for when thearbitration policies are overridden, and include criteria such asmessage sender, message topic, and/or external factors such asenvironmental factors.

Disclosed embodiments provide a computer-implemented technique forfiltering electronic communication based on the current task of a user.A workflow segmentation model is derived based on user-definedactivities, heuristics, location data, environmental data, and/or otherinput data. Thus, the workflow segmentation model is significantly morethan calendar information. Prior to delivery, electronic communicationdirected to the user is analyzed based on sender, subject, messagecontent, time of day, and/or other criteria to determine if the messageshould be presented to the user immediately, or deferred, based on therelevance of the message to the current task of the user. In this way,worker productivity can be increased, as worker distractions arereduced. Thus, disclosed embodiments enable improved organizationalefficiency by managing time resources, which are valuable for anyorganization.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this disclosure.As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. Furthermore, the use of the terms “a”, “an”, etc., do notdenote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of atleast one of the referenced items. The term “set” is intended to mean aquantity of at least one. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising”, or “includes” and/or “including”, or“has” and/or “having”, when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, regions, or elements.

Some of the functional components described in this specification havebeen labeled as systems or units in order to more particularly emphasizetheir implementation independence. For example, a system or unit may beimplemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits orgate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips,transistors, or other discrete components. A system or unit may also beimplemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmablegate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, orthe like. A system or unit may also be implemented in software forexecution by various types of processors. A system or unit or componentof executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified system or unit need not be physicallylocated together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored indifferent locations which, when joined logically together, comprise thesystem or unit and achieve the stated purpose for the system or unit.

Further, a system or unit of executable code could be a singleinstruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed overseveral different code segments, among different programs, and acrossseveral memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identifiedand illustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in anysuitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure.The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may bedistributed over different locations including over different storagedevices and disparate memory devices.

Furthermore, systems/units may also be implemented as a combination ofsoftware and one or more hardware devices. For instance, locationdetermination and alert message and/or coupon rendering may be embodiedin the combination of a software executable code stored on a memorymedium (e.g., memory storage device). In a further example, a system orunit may be the combination of a processor that operates on a set ofoperational data.

As noted above, some of the embodiments may be embodied in hardware. Thehardware may be referenced as a hardware element. In general, a hardwareelement may refer to any hardware structures arranged to perform certainoperations. In one embodiment, for example, the hardware elements mayinclude any analog or digital electrical or electronic elementsfabricated on a substrate. The fabrication may be performed usingsilicon-based integrated circuit (IC) techniques, such as complementarymetal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), bipolar, and bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS)techniques, for example. Examples of hardware elements may includeprocessors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g.,transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integratedcircuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmablelogic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmablegate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor devices, chips,microchips, chip sets, and so forth. However, the embodiments are notlimited in this context.

Also noted above, some embodiments may be embodied in software. Thesoftware may be referenced as a software element. In general, a softwareelement may refer to any software structures arranged to perform certainoperations. In one embodiment, for example, the software elements mayinclude program instructions and/or data adapted for execution by ahardware element, such as a processor. Program instructions may includean organized list of commands comprising words, values, or symbolsarranged in a predetermined syntax that, when executed, may cause aprocessor to perform a corresponding set of operations.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, may be non-transitory,and thus is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, suchas radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves,electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or othertransmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-opticcable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device. Program data may also bereceived via the network adapter or network interface.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofembodiments of the present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer,or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of embodiments of the present invention.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a computer, or other programmable data processing apparatusto produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computerreadable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readablestorage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable dataprocessing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the computer readable storage medium havinginstructions stored therein comprises an article of manufactureincluding instructions which implement aspects of the function/actspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

While the disclosure outlines exemplary embodiments, it will beappreciated that variations and modifications will occur to thoseskilled in the art. For example, although the illustrative embodimentsare described herein as a series of acts or events, it will beappreciated that the present invention is not limited by the illustratedordering of such acts or events unless specifically stated. Some actsmay occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts orevents apart from those illustrated and/or described herein, inaccordance with the invention. In addition, not all illustrated stepsmay be required to implement a methodology in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the methods accordingto embodiments of the present invention may be implemented inassociation with the formation and/or processing of structuresillustrated and described herein as well as in association with otherstructures not illustrated. Moreover, in particular regard to thevarious functions performed by the above described components(assemblies, devices, circuits, etc.), the terms used to describe suchcomponents are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany component which performs the specified function of the describedcomponent (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though notstructurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs thefunction in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of theinvention. In addition, while a particular feature of embodiments of theinvention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of severalembodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more features ofthe other embodiments as may be desired and advantageous for any givenor particular application. Therefore, it is to be understood that theappended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changesthat fall within the true spirit of embodiments of the invention.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. An electronic computation device comprising: aprocessor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containinginstructions, that when executed by the processor, perform the processof: determining a workflow segmentation model for a user, wherein theworkflow segmentation model includes a plurality of task contexts;receiving one or more communication events destined for the user;classifying each of the one or more communication events based on theplurality of task contexts; and arbitrating, based on the workflowsegmentation model, the one or more communication events sent to theuser, wherein arbitrating includes assigning a correlation value, basedon classification of the one or more communication events, and furtherbased on a current task context of the user.
 10. The electroniccomputation device of claim 9, wherein the memory further comprisesinstructions, that when executed by the processor, perform the processof determining the workflow segmentation model is based on calendarinformation of the user.
 11. The electronic computation device of claim9, wherein the memory further comprises instructions, that when executedby the processor, perform the process of determining the workflowsegmentation model is based on geographical location information of theuser.
 12. The electronic computation device of claim 9, wherein thememory further comprises instructions, that when executed by theprocessor, perform the process of receiving user preferences for acustomizable induced communication delay.
 13. The electronic computationdevice of claim 9, wherein the memory further comprises instructions,that when executed by the processor, perform the process of classifyingeach of the one or more communication events based on a detected subjectof each communication event.
 14. The electronic computation device ofclaim 9, wherein the memory further comprises instructions, that whenexecuted by the processor, perform the process of classifying each ofthe one or more communication events based on a sender of eachcommunication event.
 15. The electronic computation device of claim 9,wherein the memory further comprises instructions, that when executed bythe processor, perform the process of presenting a first usercommunication status to a first sender based on the workflowsegmentation model, and concurrently presenting a second usercommunication status to a second sender based on the workflowsegmentation model, wherein the first user communication status isdifferent than the second user communication status.
 16. The electroniccomputation device of claim 15, wherein the memory further comprisesinstructions, that when executed by the processor, perform the processof setting the first user communication status to available, and settingthe second user communication status to do-not-disturb.
 17. A computerprogram product for an electronic computation device comprising acomputer readable storage medium having program instructions embodiedtherewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to causethe electronic computation device to perform the process of: determininga workflow segmentation model for a user, wherein the workflowsegmentation model includes a plurality of task contexts; receiving oneor more communication events destined for the user; classifying each ofthe one or more communication events based on the plurality of taskcontexts; and arbitrating, based on the workflow segmentation model, theone or more communication events sent to the user, wherein arbitratingincludes assigning a correlation value, based on classification of theone or more communication events, and further based on a current taskcontext of the user.
 18. The computer program product of claim 17,wherein the computer readable storage medium includes programinstructions executable by the processor to cause the electroniccomputation device to determine the workflow segmentation model based ongeographical location information of the user.
 19. The computer programproduct of claim 17, wherein the computer readable storage mediumincludes program instructions executable by the processor to cause theelectronic computation device to perform the process of presenting afirst user communication status to a first sender based on the workflowsegmentation model, and concurrently presenting a second usercommunication status to a second sender based on the workflowsegmentation model, wherein the first user communication status isdifferent than the second user communication status.
 20. The computerprogram product of claim 19, wherein the computer readable storagemedium includes program instructions executable by the processor tocause the electronic computation device to set the first usercommunication status to available, and set the second user communicationstatus to do-not-disturb.